Air
by AimlessPursuit
Summary: just a late night talk. Drabble. Kainora.


What Kai loved most about the Northern Air Temple was how open and vast the sky was.

He marveled at how plentiful the stars were as he strolled across the courtyard, how crisp and clean the air was as he inhaled a lungful of it.

Back at Ba Sing Se, the sky had always seemed small. The walls were the only horizon Kai ever knew, and the city lights always blocked out a good portion of the stars. Not that he saw them often anyway- it's hard to stand still and admire them when you're always on the run. Most of the nights he spent at Ba Sing Se involved slinking past guards in the shadows. Kai never slept or stayed a singled place for more than a night in a row- the last thing he wanted was to be caught and thrown into prison. Or worse, having to go back to his adopted family and live with the shame of having taken advantage of them.

But that was a lifetime ago. Sure, maybe it only has been a few days since he's been here but the total change of environment really made his old life seem so long ago. Kai inhaled the cool mountain air again. It was just plain air, untainted with the familiar scents of street markets and garbage that defined the lower ring of Ba Sing Se.

And though admittedly, while he did sort of miss the thrill of snatching a loaf of bread and hearing the clink of stolen coins, Kai was glad he left that all behind. Here, it was a new beginning. He was actually making an impact by being here, helping rebuild the air nation to its former glory.

"Whatcha doing out so late?"

Kai nearly jumped in surprise. The all too familiar instincts that kept him alive on the streets kicked in. But once he found the source of the voice he instantly relaxed, breathing out a sigh of relief.

"Hi Jinora," Kai said, sheepishly grinning. She was cross-legged in the middle of courtyard, arms across her knees in meditation position. A low-lit lantern sat by her side.

"Sorry I startled you."

"It's alright," Kai answered, feeling a bit embarrassed. "What are you doing here?"

"I asked you first." He could see her playful smile in the dimness of the lantern.

"I couldn't sleep," Kai admitted with a shrug.

"Me too," Jinora replied, getting up to join him at the edge of the courtyard. He was suddenly aware of how disheveled he must look. Hopefully it wasn't too obvious in the dark.

Jinora's hand reached up and pushed his hair back. "Your hair is a lot more chaotic than usual," she giggled. Kai could feel his face burn up.

"Hey, I just got out of bed," he nudged her playfully, offering a small grin. "How long have you been out here?"

Jinora shrugged. "It's hard to keep track of time when you're meditating."

"Really? Cause I feel like time's a lot more slower," Kai chuckled. "I don't know how you can just sit there for hours!"

"You'll get there one day," Jinora assured, "you're still a newbie, after all."

"True," Kai agreed. Their conversation continued, laughter echoing out through the courtyard. They talked easily- anything from playful banter to hushed gossipping. He hadn't felt so at home since his parents died. Growing up on the streets had instilled him with an instinct to never grow attached to anyone- it's what kept him alive in the first place, after all. It was what made it so easy to steal, to scam. To survive.

But with Jinora, it was different. He liked how he could just be himself around her. He liked that she was easy to talked to, and that even though he was a lowly thief she didn't really mind.

Kai also even asked for help from her, something he rarely did as he always relied on himself over the years. But Kai sometimes had a hard time keeping up with training and learning the culture of the air nation. Even though he was a natural at airbending, the history and the teachings were something he found tricky and boring.

But Jinora always made it a lot more interesting. Maybe it's her excitement that's so infectious, whenever she would ramble on something about the air nation, and the way her eyes lit up at the stories of the past. He couldn't help but also get caught up in the excitement with her.

Soon, the laughter faded out and silence hung between them. It was a comfortable silence, though. Kai didn't feel the need to fill the emptiness with words as he stared out into the night.

It was just plain old silence. Much like the air here.

"Do you miss Ba Sing Se?" Jinora asked in a hushed tone.

He turned to meet her eyes. No one really asked that kind of question to him before. Well, it was not like he had anyone to ask him those kind of questions anyway. He had a few friends but they weren't too close, just a couple of kids who he played with before he was on the run.

Kai paused to think of an answer. While he was glad to be here, to finally be free of the walls and the poverty he'd known all his life, it was the only life he knew. Not that Kai would want to admit that- the whole "spilling his feelings" thing just didn't work with him. But there was something about Jinora, about how she didn't judge him when they first met, how she saved him from the Earth Queen and the way she beams into that wide smile of hers and gosh he never really noticed how pretty her eyes were in the moonlight-

"I-I'm sorry," Jinora looked down, breaking their gaze, "I shouldn't have asked."

"No I-" Kai stammered, flushing, embarrassed that he was too lost in his thoughts to answer her. Too lost in his thoughts about her. He was so awkward sometimes. "Well, uh, to be honest," he began, rubbing the back of his head, "I don't really miss Ba Sing Se."

She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Kai shook his head. "No," he admitted, "I didn't really have anyone back then, but now..."

"You have us," Jinora finished his sentence. She offered a small smile, not as wide as her usual smile but it made his face warm and tingly all the same. Kai couldn't help but return it.

They were both leaning on the edge of courtyard, overlooking the starlit landscape when he was suddenly aware of how close in proximity she was. How their shoulders sort of touched, how her fingers slightly grazed his, how he could see her breath mist in the cold air. And suddenly Kai was very aware of himself, groaning internally at how rumpled his clothes must be and how disheveled his hair still is.

He never felt as comfortable as he was around Jinora, but at the same time he never felt so nervous either. It was weird. Girls were weird. Jinora was weird.

And she turned to watch the view again, leaning slightly more into his shoulder this time. Kai could feel his face heat up all over again and his heart beat slightly faster and he was sweating, even though he was standing perfectly still except except Jinora's right beside him and they're alone and-

_Or maybe I'm weird,_ he decided.

And to be honest, he was kind of okay with that.


End file.
